Brand Strategy

Standing out amid a massive chorus of competitors is a challenge for any company in today’s business climate. Want evidence? Look at any magazine, TV show or surf the Internet. The number of offers and sales pitches one receives on a daily basis is simply staggering and increasingly ineffective. It’s no wonder, then, why businesses are seeking new and more effective ways of increasing the influence of their brand strategy in the marketplace. A strong brand strategy can increase the awareness of a company and its offerings in such a way that establishes strong feelings and reactions and a favorable view towards the company as a whole. To create this sort of “brand awareness” in your market, it takes skillful Brand Strategy know-how.

Successfully out-branding your competitors is a continuous battle for the hearts and minds of your customers. The proposition your brand strategy makes must be very compelling, attractive and unique among competitive offerings. The proposition must also be consistently reinforced throughout all phases of an organization, from senior executives to customer service, research and development, business development and even your business partners.

What entails a comprehensive and effective “Brand Strategy process?” That’s a much longer answer than what we have space for here, plus it varies from industry to industry, but here are some very basic guidelines about what makes a good Brand Strategy.

Brand Strategy—what’s the big deal?

Brand Strategy is nothing new. Yet, the expectations consumers have for a product or service they buy is stronger than it’s ever been. This is why companies interested in long-term success must create the most promising, targeted brand experience possible.

Whether you know it or not, you already have a brand, and your customers are having a “brand experience” when they interact with you, whether it be with your products and services or the people in your company. In order to craft this “brand experience” in a calculated way that is beneficial for your company, you must have a strong understanding about what exactly a brand is.

Brand is the Alpha and Omega

In other words, brand is the totality of your company and its business.

“A brand is the sum of the good, the bad, the ugly and the off-strategy,” says Scott White, one of the nation’s leading branding consultants and a valued expert companies like Sun Life Financial and Franklin Sports rely on. “It is your best and worst product. It is your best and worst employee. It is communicated through award-winning advertising as well as those ads that somehow slipped through the approval cracks and sank anything riding on them. It is your on-hold music and the demeanor of the receptionist who puts that valued client or prospect on hold. It is the carefully crafted comments by a CEO as well as negative buzz by the water cooler or in chat rooms on the Internet. Brand is expressed through written, audio and visual content. It is interpreted through emotional filters every human being has—where anything can happen. Ultimately, you can’t control your brand. You can only hope to guide it.”

The Road to Branding Success

Building on the inherent values of a brand should be the core of any branding strategy. If they’re not clear, get a good grip on them first. Is the brand about honesty or integrity? Quality? How about excellent communication and customer satisfaction?

Knowledge of a company’s values, at least in a literal context, is typically an internal matter; yet, those values become evident to everyone in contact with the company, from customers and prospective customers to business-to-business relationships and employee relations. Consistency is the key here. If members of the organization aren’t accurately representing the values of the brand, steps must be taken to rectify the chink in the armor. And unlike a brand’s key business proposition, values should never change even though the landscape in which the company operates and even its products may.

Winning brand strategies starts with top-notch research

With values set, a brand proposition is ready to be established. Objective and comprehensive branding research are the keys here. At a minimum, both must be done to establish clarity on the brand’s strengths and weaknesses, the target audience and the competition. If possible, branding research should also be done on the brand’s industry, its history, the status of the market and possibilities for future expansion.

Your target customer will determine your success

If it’s only possible to do one body of brand research, discover as much as possible about your target customer. Find out who they are and what their needs and desires are. Make it your mission to get as detailed information as possible on their age, gender, income, shopping habits (online and off) and anything else of relevance you can determine. If you’re targeting a business market, these criteria will differ, depending on the industry. Understanding your target market and what they want is key to developing a winning brand. Knowing these things should also give you an idea for what communication medium and content would work to engage your market.

Other research you might want to do is find out what your competitors’ offerings are like. How do your offerings stack up? What can a customer get from your product that they can’t get from anyone else? Find out these things, and you have the seeds for a winning branding strategy, not to mention great fodder for an ad campaign.

What does your brand promise?

The brand statement, often called the brand promise or proposition, is a derivative of branding research. It states the benefit of buying and using your company’s products or services. For clothing, it could be about style or comfort. For a car, it could be about safety or reliability. Whatever it is, it must be clear, engaging and presented in a context relevant to the customer. One example of an effective brand promise is that of BMW’s. It’s stated right in the company’s tagline: The Ultimate Driving Machine.

Your promise should be golden

If your company’s products and service don’t live up to their brand promise, new customers will become lost customers and loyal customers might leave, too. Simply put, your deliverable, what ever that is, must follow through on the promise—in fact, it would be best if it actually over-delivered.


Your promise should be unexpected, but welcome

Don’t reuse something a competitor has already promised even if it works for your product or service, and don’t be vague in trying to position your company favorably against your competitors (such as saying you’re “the best pizza in town.”). Be specific because specific is exponentially more memorable. Besides, people expect you to be good. Otherwise, they wouldn’t give you their business.

Hearts and minds first, wallets later

Creating a positive emotional association in your market for your product or service is key. It can create want and desire by the mere mention of your brand, product or service name. Needless to say, that’s powerful. For instance, the mere mention of Ben & Jerry’s conjures up images of numerous unique premium ice cream flavors and with the anticipation for your favorite (in my case, Cherry Garcia). Such positive emotional associations are built over time through good branding practice and a time-tested relationship between you and your customer based on intrigue, trust, understanding and support.

To create a brand promise that creates such emotional connections, it should be:

1. Grounded in the brand’s core values
2. Clearly relevant and engaging to your target market
3. Able to create some sort of positive emotional attachment beyond just being “good”
4. Repeated internally and externally within your organization
5. Adaptable to the business climate
6. Continually reinforced
7. Consistent across advertising and marketing mediums
8. Known and echoed by business partners

- Atul Jain
MMS 2008-2010

Superphones

Over the last few months, every time I have taken a vacation, I have taken along my Acer Book, thinking, well, you never know when you might need to check schedules or emails or something else. Given the nature of my profession, it has taken a lot of self-control to limit my Internet usage and, thus, deal with Internet Anxiety Disorder while on the go.
And despite my best intentions, I end up checking the news, writing one or more posts, and generally spending time answering emails, working, chatting and therefore missing out on hours of an opportunity to gaze at the beauty around or simply soak in the billion shades of India.
Apparently, I am not the only one who has this issue. Folks from LogMeIn recently conducted a survey over on LinkedIn. The question they asked was: “Do you plan to stay connected during your summer vacation?” A surprising 85 percent of small business workers said they planned to stay connected during summer vacation, and 60 percent intended to check email and voicemail at least once a day.
I bet now that we have superphones such as Apple’s iPhone or T-Mobile’s MyTouch and Palm Pre, we will be even more connected. I wonder when in the future the notion of vacation will be less about beaches, golf or mountains and more about no connectivity. (P.S. Lately, I have been experimenting with no computer usage for 6 hours a day. That self-imposed Internet diet is helping me think clearly.)


Amit Shethia
MMS 2008-10

One Day

Little did i knew One Day would be growing up....
Running Behind Something ....
Many people behind for...

Little did i knew One Day when life would be sad....
Crying the way when i was born...

Little did i knew One Day when life would come to an end...
People staring at me without any me...

Little did i knew One Day on the doors of heaven...
Pushed to the doors of hell...

Little did i knew One Day

By
Chintan Gala
2008-10

If I could.

if i could.

rip up shadows
of poles and plains
to turn them into trees
chisel every leaf
and bare veins bleeding into the rain

if i could
crease out a lake
I would,
drown the ripples
and watch a monologue
between the moon and a paper boat

but all I can afford
is to watch
the silent games
an empty room and the shadows play

but if i could
just mute the rain,
I could watch
the land shiver
in their silent intimacy.

-Shruti swamy

The tree outside

The tree outside...

I wish I could have been there when its tender sinew tore out in a wave of gibberlic acid realizing there was a vast expanse outside to stand out against in exaltation.

I wish I could feel the brute force of its roots breathing and toiling in the soil...that they have chosen over claustrophobic, succulent and safe slumber and its rapture when it asserts itself against the wind.
When the branches sway, they sound like a painter making furious brushstrokes.
It stands unwavering. Silently in the violent union of the rain and the wind.
Its leaves dripping..opening their eyes blinded by the stone dust..Waiting to fill every vein with sunlight.

It looks serene. Like a child who frolicked all day chasing stray strands of cotton and with elbows propped up on the grass getting amazed by a grasshopper's pretty eyes, coming home to sleep.

-Shruti Swamy

Common English Mistakes

Hey,
Here are some common mistakes that we commit while using a very funny laguage...English!.

English can be confusing. A lot of words are similar but with different meanings. It is almost impossible to avoid making mistakes in English, but you might be able to avoid making these ones.

Accept vs except: Accept is a verb, which means to agree to take something .

For example: "I always accept good advice."

Except is a preposition or conjunction, which means not including.

For example: "I teach every day except Sunday(s)."





affect vs effect: Affect and effect are two words that are commonly confused.

affect is usually a verb (action) - effect is usually a noun (thing)

Hint: If it's something you're going to do, use "affect." If it's something you've already done, use "effect."

To affect something or someone.

Meaning: to influence, act upon, or change something or someone.

For example: The noise outside affected my performance.

To have an effect on something or someone

!Note: effect is followed by the preposition on and preceded by an article (an, the)

Meaning: to have an impact on something or someone.

For example: His smile had a strange effect on me.

!Effect can also mean "the end result".

For example: The drug has many adverse side effects.

Advice vs advise: Advice is a noun, which means an opinion that someone offers you about what you should do or how you should act in a particular situation.

For example: "I need someone to give me some advice."



Advise is a verb, which means to give information and suggest types of action.

For example: "I advise everybody to be nice to their teacher."



**Often in English the noun form ends in ...ice and the verb form ends in ...ise.

A lot / alot / allot: A lot, meaning a large amount or number of people or things, can be used to modify a noun.

For example:-

"I need a lot of time to develop this web site."

It can also be used as an adverb, meaning very much or very often.

For example:-

"I look a lot like my sister."

It has become a common term in speech; and is increasingly used in writing.

Alot does not exist! There is no such word in the English language. If you write it this way - imagine me shouting at you - "No Such Word!"

Allot is a verb, which means to give (especially a share of something) for a particular purpose:-

For example: "We were allotted a desk each."

Been vs gone: been is the past participle of be

gone is the past participle of go

Been is used to describe completed visits. So if you have been to England twice, you have travelled there and back twice. If you have gone to England, you have not yet returned.

! Now you've been and gone and done it!

Beside vs besides: beside is a preposition of place that means at the side of or next to.

For example: The house was beside the Thames.

besides is an adverb or preposition. It means in addition to or also.

For example: Besides water, we carried some fruit. = "In addition to water, we carried some fruit."

bought vs brought: bought past tense of the verb to buy
For example: "I bought a newspaper at the newsagents. "

brought past tense of the verb to bring
For example: "She brought her homework to the lesson."

!There is an 'r' in brought and an 'r' in bring = they belong together.

Council vs counsel: Council is a group noun. It refers to a group of people elected or chosen to make decisions or give advice on a particular subject, to represent a particular group of people, or to run a particular organization.

For example: "The local council has decided not to allocate any more funds for the project."

Counsel can be a verb, which means to give advice, especially on social or personal problems.

For example: "She counsels the long-term unemployed on how to get a job."

Counsel can also be a noun, which means advice.

For example: "I should have listened to my father's counsel, and saved some money instead of spending it all."

By
Arpita Rao
MMS 2008-10

Effective Communication

As management students it is essential for all of us to master the art of tackling difficult situations, people and conversations. Here is something I stumbled upon... hope u find it useful.

Steps to Provide Feedback in a Difficult Conversation

* Seek permission to provide the feedback. Even if you are the employee's boss, start by stating you have some feedback you'd like to share. Ask if it's a good time or if the employee would prefer to select another time and place. (Within reason, of course.)


* Use a soft entry. Don't dive right into the feedback - give the person a chance to brace for potentially embarrassing feedback. Tell the employee that you need to provide feedback that is difficult to share. If you're uncomfortable with your role in the conversation, you might say that, too. Most people are as uncomfortable providing feedback about an individual's personal dress or habits, as the person receiving the feedback.


* Often, you are in the feedback role because other employees have complained to you about the habit, behavior, or dress. Do not give in to the temptation to amplify the feedback, or excuse your responsibility for the feedback, by stating that a number of coworkers have complained. This heightens the embarrassment and harms the recovery of the person receiving feedback.


* The best feedback is straightforward and simple. Don't beat around the bush.

* Tell the person the impact that changing his or her behavior will have from a positive perspective. Tell the employee how choosing to do nothing will affect their career and job.


* Reach agreement about what the individual will do to change their behavior. Set a due date - tomorrow, in some cases. Set a time frame to review progress in others.


* Follow-up. The fact that the problem exists means that backsliding is possible; further clarification may also be necessary. Then, more feedback and possibly, disciplinary action are possible next steps.

You can become effective at holding difficult conversations. Practice and these steps will help build your comfort level to hold difficult conversations. After all, a difficult conversation can make the difference between success and failure for a valued employee. Care enough to hold the difficult conversation.


By
Aprita Rao
MMS 2008-10

A story linking these two abstract ideas

“Mom, this one has a tangy taste to it!” exclaimed Victor. To little Victor, the bitter-sweet taste of the lollipops that his mom had given him to allay his fears arising out of the gigantic structures surrounding him, was the only distraction. To everyone around, the ruins seemed like beautiful structures symbolizing power and personifying history. They came across as monuments that spoke volumes of a lost civilization and the dynasty of a Ruler- the Sultan.
To Charlotte, Victor’s petite historian mother, the place brought a queer feeling. A feeling of Déjà vu. Her vision addled, a blush suffused her lips, her mind rushed back in time. The dynasty came alive, bustling with people and ebullient with wealth. Prosperity was its name and harmony, its song. Then came along the pillagers. They ravaged the town, bludgeoned the peace within and desecrated the worshipped. Hate conquered Love. Charlotte seemed lost and her face sank. “Mom, can I have one more of those lollipops?” Victor’s mellifluous words jolted her back to reality. Confused, she looked around at the ruins and then at her little bundle of innocence. She had only two lollipops remaining. Victor had one to enjoy. The other lollipop was for Charlotte. It quelled her fears too!!

By
Akanksha Gupte
MMS 2008-10

Life at FABS

FABS is place where I’ve learnt to unlearn and relearn. It has provided a platform where I’ve seen a lot of my dreams metamorphose into reality.
The day at FABS starts at 9am and extends up to 9pm, sometimes even beyond that.
Just as you make yourself comfortable in the first lecture, you are jolted into reality by a bombardment of projects and assignments.
It shakes you out of your comfort zone and asks you to be more proactive than reactive.
The next two lectures also keep you wondering as to when you will be completing the tasks assigned.
Life here actually keeps you on your toes as you learn to juggle academic obligations with their practical applications.
A host of activities, annual management festival- Abstract, FABS market, interventions, industrial visits, picnics and many other inter-collegiate events keep up the competitive spirit and the need to update the skills and knowledge base in each individual.
Presentations and assignments pose a constant pressure which is energising and compels you to work relentlessly and keep your grey cells active without letting complacency set in. Guidance and assistance are always available. Presentations, an intrinsic part of a good MBA program catapult you to a position of responsibility and put you on a pedestal which you have to live up to.
Guest lectures by Business leaders, professionals from the industry and alumni introduce you to the corporate world which helps you envision your future. Keeping yourself updated with the latest in the world of business is stressed and encouraged.
A good mix of group and individual activities inculcates a sense of respect for other’s opinions, opens you to a world of 59 other people apart from yours and builds bonds of friendship and togetherness.
In a nutshell, life at FABS encourages holistic development. You really appreciate the social and professional welfare that you and others engage in!
FABS gives you the strength and wisdom you need to build a formidable career and live a wholesome life!!

Open spaces workshop

Every year, the 1^st year students undergo this workshop in the 2^nd semester.

This is a workshop conducted by Dr. Homayun Taba and Dr. Marguerite Theophil, Organisational Consultant. The 3 day workshop is structured to provide experiential inputs on intrapersonal and interpersonal growth. It provides learning inputs as well as opportunities for introspection and sharing.

It allows for the much needed reflective thinking that each management student needs to engage in. This helps in self-assessment, evaluation of one’s competencies and a better perception of the future course of action.

The result of this exercise is a refreshed mind, rejuvenated spirit, invigorated energy and goal focus. It leaves you spellbound!!

FABS Market: Strictly for Budding Entrepreneurs

Experience teaches and how much? One does and then begins to learn, so did we…. Read on

It’s been approximately seven fun and learning months that we have been introduced to the course in Masters in Business Administration at Fr. Agnels’- Our home away from home. From day one it has been books and laptops, projects and power points, lecture halls and computer labs, analysis and planning and a lot of absorbing.

It is in this seven months that all our learning would translate into action. The reason : ‘FABS Market’ . To guide and mentor us through this ride it is our dear Prof. Rakesh Walke and his skillful mind.

We are left clueless when we first hit upon the idea of FABS market, questioning and thinking. Soon we are divided into groups to form an entity with five or six business partners.

It’s in the four walls of the class room, when the first thoughts are spoken and the initial idea conceived that FABS Market officially kicks off. Along with the group of entrepreneurs who are now scratching their heads to work their best business plan, there are a bunch from the class who volunteer to ensure the event is organized flawlessly.

The committees thus formed include a PR committee, a Publicity/Creative committee, a Logistics committee and an Accounting committee.

Demand forecast – a term we learnt about in class would now come in handy as we became invigilators surveying the campus-our consumers- to understand their wants. The entire campus was surveyed so as to forecast demand, to tap the pulse of our market, to make available what our consumers fancy, mending and reworking our plans wherever necessary to maximize profits.

On one hand there was market research being conducted, on the other the campus seemed more into the mood as whacky banners and ‘must check out’ sign boards drew eyeballs. As the event date neared, the buzz and anticipation for the event grew as each team geared and got creative to out beat the other.

We now ‘Zoom in’ directly to the day of the event, before we do -about the date chosen- the big day chosen is 14^th of Feb- a day strategically picked. While all (a chunk of above 3000+ individuals) are in a jolly good merry moods, for us and our business heads it is the most favorable day to ensure maximum sales.

And how true does this decision turn out to be!!!! The morning of 14^th Feb at Fr. Agnels,’ Vashi begins really early, especially for the logistics team who ensure the area allocated is up and ready as desired by each of the ten groups. Once this is done, each group very enthusiastically design and set their stalls with colorful signboards, chart papers and other creative’s. This, to guarantee outright stock emptying sales.

The promotional strategies undertaken by each groups is unique and catchy. Some use the roads, some the coconut trees, while others use themselves, putting into practice the nomadic marketing tricks we learnt in our Marketing class. Once the pace sets in, time just wouldn’t wait, big crowds gathered around every stall , some betting , determined to double their pocket money, others treating themselves to the yummy snack. On sale you would find handmade bookmarks, mat footwear, funky accessories and bright and bold t-shirts. Services included a palmist and a signature analyst.

As time went by the crowds kept increasing until we emptied our stock. In the afternoon the Pepsi- colas made good business that reminded the lesson on how to provide what the customer needs and sale will automatically happen.

All of this noise and organized chaos ended around 6 pm. A day very productive and a sense of achievement could be seen on our faces, we worked and we succeeded, we basked in the glory of the first steps we took as entrepreneurs , while we gathered , counted and smilingly collected our share from the profits. While all this happened we were being judged by 20 odd judges for our creative selling techniques, the products and services we sold and to the profits we earned.

All the ten groups were judged accordingly. All and all this day the 14^th of Feb’09 for us was exceedingly rewarding and will be dearly remembered.

Kashedi –The green hill experience

Before the break of dawn, we Agnelites take off with our haversacks to a destination we know very little about. Our motive? To ensure some quality picnic fun. Little did we know that this journey would bless us with a bounty of knowledge and experiences; as a different way of life unfolded before us, sparking a new awareness, with openness & calmn.

Take a trip through our experience. It takes approximately 8 hours to reach this destination away from our concrete jungles. The ride is pretty scenic as one winds through the ghats on the smooth concrete road. As we arrive at our destination atop a high hill, we are greeted by our Mentor Mr. Bhide at Kashedi. From here begins the first stroke on our fresh learning canvas.

Our opening sessions lead us into discovering our own minds as we experiment on math quiz, learning and knowing, introspecting and connecting to our inner being to find direction, working our grey cells to know what we are and answering the trickiest questions. All of this learning dialogue takes place not in a classroom but out in the open, with nature’s tall green trees and chirping birds who give us soulful company.

Once there, we are one with nature, learning by doing, trekking to the top of the hill to take a good look at the twinkling stars which go invisible in our polluted cities, locating constellations and planets in the pitch black skies lit with decorative stars, as we lay down calmly gazing and truly experiencing the magnificence of nature.

We discover simple ways in which one could generate and conserve electricity, we also read up on the effects of global warming and of other worse events that constantly injure our planet.

All this comes with truckloads of entertainment as we are part of Kashedi’s traditions. Dancing and singing with the folk’s young and old trying our best to match up to their well synchronized moves.

We also brainstorm and learn about opportunities in rural market, hurdles faced, difficulties encountered while marketing in rural areas.

We practice forest fire-fighting, and enjoy the late night insights over the warm bonfire, learning to swim and stay afloat is a part of this course It indeed is an adventurous learning experience.. All of this and much more is our memory of this amazing 3 day tour.

The most amazing thing is that this mountain was once barren land, which a group of well read, well meaning intellectual friends thought of transforming into a forest of lush greenery that would parent a number of beings. And this green Kashedi that we experienced is how beautifully they accomplished this self less dream. This commitment and daring zeal is what touched and ignited in us a spark inextinguishable